Description

Carved from a single block of wood, The Singing Woman is among the rare wooden sculptures by Miklós Borsos, one of Hungary’s foremost modern sculptors. The piece depicts a serene female head with closed eyes and slightly parted lips — poised between song and silence, between the physical act of singing and the inward resonance of prayer.

The sculpture captures a moment of pure introspection: sound is not depicted, but felt. The rhythm of the carved surface — its grooves, facets, and grain — becomes a visual analogue of voice and vibration. Borsos treated wood as a living organism, allowing its natural energy to inform the figure’s quiet musicality.

The form combines the monumentality of Byzantine icons with the abstraction of modernism. Stripped of all ornament, the head exudes a timeless dignity and an almost spiritual calm. The singing becomes an inner state — a metaphor for artistic creation itself.

Unique wooden carvings by Borsos are exceedingly rare, as he worked primarily in bronze and stone. This example therefore holds exceptional artistic and historical value.

The year 2026 marks the 120th anniversary of Borsos’s birth, an occasion that will renew interest in his work. In this context, The Singing Woman stands as a profound testament to his mastery of form, material, and the unseen harmony between sound and silence.

Details